Posted date: May 11, 2012 In: The Light Side
A visitor to Vatican City was stunned when he found the subject of a Raphael masterpiece had an uncanny resemblance to – Sylvester Stallone.

The Cardinal and Theological Virtues is a 1511 fresco adorning one of the Raphael Rooms at the Vatican.
It depicts Pope Gregory IX approving the Vatical Decretals – with a spitting image of Hollywood hardman Sylvester Stallone, 65, looking on.
The hilarious doppelganger was spotted by Harvard student Anthony Zonfrell, 20, who was on holiday in Italy with his family.
He said: ‘My cousin had told us about how she had seen it when she went, so we were on the lookout.’
‘As soon as we saw the painting, we knew it was him. My whole family thought it was hilarious. It could actually be a portrait of Stallone.’It depicts Pope Gregory IX approving the Vatical Decretals – with a spitting image of Hollywood hardman Sylvester Stallone, 65, looking on

Raphael was commissioned to decorate four reception rooms in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City. They later became known as the ‘Stanze di Raffaello’, which means Raphael Rooms.